Internal combustion engine



Nov. 10, 1931. w. F. Ross 1,831,263

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE l Filed May 15. 1926 A 10 Sheets-Sheet l gmento@ A GRM/waag.

Nov. 1o, 1931. W, F, ROSS 1,831,263

INTERNAL coNBUsTxoN ENGINE Filed May 13. 1923 1o sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 10, 1931. w. F. Ross INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 13, 192s 1o sneets-shee 5 IXVENTOR:

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lo'sheets-sheet 4 Filed May 13 `1926 [Nl ENTOR:

ATTORN'EU Nov. 1o, 1931. W F. ROSS 1,331,263

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 15 1926 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 9295 E ff INI/EN TUR:

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Nov. 10, 1931. l w. F. Ross 1,831,263

INTERNALCOMBUSTVION vENGINE v Filed May 15, 192e 1o sheets-sheet 6 NOV. 10, 1931. W, E, Ross 1,831,263

INTERNAL CMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 15, 192e 1o shets-sheet 7 4 abliozwu Nov. 10, 1931. `w. F. ROSS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May -13 1926A 10 Sheeb'S-Sheei,r4 8

Nov. 1o, 1931. w. F. Ross INTERNAL coMUsToN ENGINE Filed May 15 1926 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 Nov. 1.0, 1931. w, F, R955 1,831,263

` y INTERNAL coMBUsTloN ENQINE FledMay 13, 19264 10 Sheets-Sheet' l0 u v i 3ra/ventola:

'Patented Nov. 1Q, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE WALTER 'F. ROSS, 0E' DETROIT, MICHIGAN INTERNAL coMBUs'rIoN ENGINE v' i Application' mea may is, 192e. seriai No. 103,815.

This invention relates primarily to intercylinders of the 'engine in a manner which furnal combustion engines although it also lends ther results in Vincreased aiiciency. itself to operation by constant pressure iuids Still further objects of the said invention such as steam or preexploded gases and isu are to secure by eliminating mechanical con- 5 therefore not limited to internal combustion tact between the pistons and thev cylinders of 55 l engines and may in fact by suitable modiicathe engine, reduction of friction such as tion of design be readily adapted to either would otherwise be present in such parts to a form of operation which maybe deemed deminimum and a minimizing of parts requirsirable according to the circumstances under mg extremely ne fitting or adjustment. l which the engineis to be used. i u

The engine is however essentially of a rotain-a compact engine wherein the weight is tatingpiston type as distinguished from'requite light for horsepower compared with ciprocating engines, so that it avoids many that at present secured in general engine of the disadvantages which are peculiar to practiceand also to provide an engine which l all reciprocating engines, such for instance admits ofmuch' cheaper construction per 65 as the application of power at ineficient anhorse power. than is secured in reciprocating gles to the radius of the main or crankshaft, 'engines as commonly constructed. v excessive number-of moving parts excessive Still further ob]ects subsidiary to or reinertia to be overcome in reversing the moveysulting from the aforesaid objects or from ment of parts and gases in the operation of a the construction or operation of the inven- 70 reciprocating engi-ne, excessive impact loads tion as it may be carried into e'ect will'beand low thermal eiciency due to the necessity come ap arent as the said invention is hereof maintaining lubrication of the .pistons in lnafter urther disclosed. reciprocating engines Incarrying the invention into elfect I may By my present invention, I not only overprovide an engine casing of a general cylin- 76 come these (disadvantages to amarked degree dl'ial form in' Which'is coaXi'ally mounted a by eliminating reciprocatingmotion in the main shaft connected to a rotor which carries engine, rendering unnecessary the lubricaa plurality of pistons extending therefrom tion of parts subject to high temperatures,l into-cylinders within thesaid casing, the said 80 effecting a continual, tangential application pistons being in the form of blades such as of 30- ,c of force. to the main shaft, and reducing the elliptical cross section and the Walls of the number of moving parts as compared with Cylinders variably spaced throughout th'e 'reciprocating engines, but provide an engine bores thereof' so that such variation is that wherein may be obtained a great degree of` of the variation between the major and minor .5 iexibility with a practically continuous iow aXFS 0f @he CIOSS SBCODS Of'Sad Pistons, the 85 of power and, as a result, greater proportion- Sal@- v Cylllldels bem '001113111110115 and C ECuH-` al power at low speeds than is obtainable in Sclbmg the 3x15 9 the engmea and bemg re" reciproating engi'ea g I Y stricted to the minor` axes of the istonsat The invention furthr contemplate-S, Se diametrically opposite points whilst beingl 3 'A general object of the invention is t'o obso curing a substantial reduction of mechani enlarged to the major axes of th Said Pis' 9 tons also at diametricall o osite oints inl l cal friction, especially of the pistons 1n the y pp P cylinders, whereby the lubricatingof .the said, tltglgygrogrgsl;c Pisims the mannerommon 1,11 reclpro" the envelope oi the path of said pistons.

Catmg efgmes mayb? filsPelS'fd Wlth, 5 0 that Means are provided controlling the rotation 95 the burning-of lubricating oil in the lcylinders-i of the pistons in Suhv mannerthat lthey will 1s.- avoided audecononiy and also higher efvpresent their minor axes 'tothe' restricted porciency in the utilizing of explosivey mixtures tionsof the' cylinders as they travel therein the engine is attained; and also aims to around and their major axes to the widest providelfor lvery effective scavenging of the portions of the said cylinders, assuming in- 100 termediate angular disposition to the walls of the cylinders in intermediate positions between the narrower and wider parts thereof so that they will accommodate themselves to the progressively narrowing or progressively widening nature of the cylinders as said pistons travel therein, and as a result the volumetric space between adjacent -pistons increases as they move toward the wider portions of the cylinders, and decreases as they move beyond such widerp-ortions towards the restricted portions of the said cylinders.

Where the device is intended for operation as an internal combustion engine an inlet is provided to the cylinder just beyond one of the restricted portions thereof and at the 'opposite restricted portion suitable firing means, such as a spark plug, is provided, so that gases induced into the cylinder' by the travel of the pistons to thewider portion thereof in advance of the said inlet and compressed between the pistons as they approach 'the second restricted portion of the cylinder may be exploded by such firing means, and the expansive effort of such exploded gases utilized in promoting the advance of the pistons as they move towards the second enlarged portion of the cylinder and incidently in promoting the rotation vof the rotor and its shaft. A double exhaust pipe is provided beyond the second enlarged portion of thel cylinder, and includes a Venturi section which assists in eiicient scavenging of the cylinders.

These general features and other more specific features are more specifically de-` scribed and ascertained hereinafter, by way of example, having reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an internal combustion engine embodying the" said invention;

Figure 2 is an in section;

Figure 3 is'a rear elevation of the enelevation ofthe same partly gine;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section of the same;

Figure 6 is a horizontal transverse section;

Fi re 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line s-7m, Figure 5;

Figure 8 is an elevation partly broken away and in section of one of the pistons; 4

Figure 9 is a section n the line Slm-9m, Figure 8;

Figure 10 is an elevation of an oil distributing ring used in association with the piston pinions;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary view of part of one of the cylinder walls, illustrating the manner of securing an adjustable section therein;

Figure 12 is a section on the line 12m-42m, Figure 11; l

illustrating a modification in the shape of the' cylinder as shown in Figure 7;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary elevation of an engine embodying a modification of the invention;

Figure 16 is a fragmentary transverse section of such modified form of engine;

y Figure 17 illustrates in section a development of the cylinder of the engine illustrated in Figures 15 and 16;

F igure18 illustrates in plan a further modified form of engine adapted to reversing operation, the reversing valve being illustrated insection ;l

Figure 19 is a section;

' Figure 20 is a section taken on the line 20m-20.71, F igure 18;

F igurea21 is a sectional detail view of the reversing valve;

Figure 22 illustrates in section a still further modified form of the invention as adapted to operate by constant pressure such as steam, and f Figure 23 is a similar view, on a smaller scale, of a modified application of the piston arrangement of Figure 22 for operation as an internal combustion engine.

Similar characters of reference'v indicate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 13, the illustra-tions show an engine having a casing of plan of the same partly in generally cylindrical. form and comprising a central rotor housing 1,. to the opposite sides of which are bolted cylinder casings 2 provided with end plates or heads 3 and 4, the said members 1, 2,A 3 and 4 being secured in assembled relation by bolts 5, and also carried by the end plates are interior cylinder castings or drums 6 and 7 which are indicated as being held in position on the said end plates as by machine screws 8 and 9. The drums 6 and 7 it will-be seenfhave an external configuration roughly of elliptical form with the major axis horizontal and the cylinder casings 2 have an internal configuration also roughly of elliptical form with the major axis vertical or perpendicular to the major axes of the drums, so that the walls of the drums approach the Walls ofthe cylinder casing's at points a and b on the major axes of the said drums and recede from the walls of the cylinder casing at the upper and lower points c and d on the minor axes of the said drums.

Located in the ,cen ral housing 1 is a twopart rotor comprising members 10 and 11 provided with shafts 12 and 13 journaled in bearings 14 and 15 respectively, which bearings are located in the said drums 6 and 7, the shaft 12 being tubular and housing an inner shaft l@ the outer Ill end of which is ljournaled in a bearing member` 17 in a casing 18 extending from the cylinder head 3.

The inner end of the said shaft 16 is journaled in bearings 19 and 20 in opposed bosses 21 and 22 of the rotor members 10 and 11 respectively. These bosses are spaced apart, and on that portion of the shaft 16 extending therebetween is mounted a herring-bone gear 23 having a medial annular groove 24 therein which accommodates the inner periphery. of a two-part retaining ring 25.

The rotor members and 11 arel also, provided with a number of internal bosses 26 and 27 arranged in circular series and provided with bearings 28 and 29 in which are journaled tubular spindles 30 and 31 extending from opposite sides of herring-bone pinions 32, which pinions are situated between opposed bosses 26 and 27 and mesh with the gear 23. These pinions have medial annular recesses 33 for the reception of the radially projecting arms a of the ring 25. The inner periphery of the said ring is rotatable in the groove 24 of the gear 23 and the extremities of the arms 25a of the said ring enter and are preferably clamped between the rims of the rotor members 10 and 11 which are recessed at 34 and35 for their reception.

36 and 37 are pistons arranged in circular series in the two cylinders hereinafter re.

ferred to as A and B, the said pistons being in this instance sixteen in number in each cylinder and the centers of the pistons equidistantly spaced around the cylinders, the said pistons 36 and 37 having stems 38 and 39 which extend into the hollow spindles and 31 of the pinions 33 and are held against rotation, within and relative to the said spindles, by shoulders 40 and 41 which enter recesses 42 and 43 in the ends of the said spindles.

The pistons 36 and 37 and their pinions are secured together in assembled relation by bolts 44 extending axially therethrough, and it is preferred that the length of the sleeves 30 and 31 of the pinions be such that when the pistons are bolted in place, their inner opposed faces 36a; and 37 a will be maintained in a spaced relation slightly greater than the distance between the outer faces 10a and 11al of the rotor members l10 and`11 whereby a slight clearance will be maintained between the said faces 36a and 37 a of the pistons and 10a and 11a of the rotor.

It will be seen that the pistons are of approximately elliptical configuration in cross section, the major axes of their ellipses be-l ing very slightly less than the wider parts of the cylinders at c and (Z (disregarding for the moment specially provided clearances which will be hereinafter referred to) whilst the minor axes of the ellipses are very slightly less than the spacing of the cylinder walls at the restricted points a and b; and it will be further noticed that the said pistons are` the major axes of the different pistons to the tangents of their points of virtual contact with the inner or outer walls of the cylinders.

To secure this result it is necessar to time the pinions so that they will per orm one counter .revolution to each revolution of the rotor, 12 of the rotor member 10 to the shaft 16 of the gear 23 by means of a reducing train of gears 45, 46, 47 and 48, the gears 46 and 47 of which are mounted on a counter shaft 49 journaled in the walls of the cylinder head 3 and its casing 18, the operation of which gearing in controlling the rotation of the pinions relative to the rotor being obvious and therefore not calling for more detailed explanation.

Figure 7 very clearly indicates the relative dispositions of the pistons to one another and to the walls of the cylinder in which they move, it being understood that the major axes of these pistons remain parallel in the manner shown as they travel around the cylinder, this conditionmbemg of course true of the pistons in both of the cylinders A and B. Y

Each cylinder is provided with an inlet port 50 entering the same at a point at vor adjacent to the restricted part a thereof, and,

in the example at present beingdescribed, the cylinder walls are indicated as being recessed at e and f from the region of the said inlets to the region of the wider upper part of the cylinders at c in order to provide a substantial clearance of the pistons from the inner and outer cylinder walls during the first quadrant of their orbit`of movement which for convenience will be hereinafter referred to as the suction stroke. From this point, however, the walls of the cylinders again assume their true form hereinbefore described, so that they practically contact withthe pistons during the second quadrant of their movement, which is hereinafter referred to as the compression stroke and which extends to the second restricted point b of the cylinders. At or adjacent to this point is situated a spark plug 51 and the cylinderagain commences to widen, and has its inner' and outer walls again recessed in this case to provide clearances g and h somewhat similar to the clearances e and f previously referred to, such clearances g and 7L extending almost to the second wider portion of the cylinders at d whereupon the true 4Jform of the cylinder practically contacting with the pistons is again resumed. This last quadrant of the movement of the pistons through that portion of the cylinders having the clearances ,g and and this is effected by gearing the shaftv tions of the cylinders through which the pistons move in performing their inlet and other strokes will be referred to as the inlet portion, compression portion, and so forth.

The exhaust 'portions of the cylinders are each provided wit-h two exhaust ports, the lirst port 52 being somewhat beyondthe final l end of the firing portions of the cylinders and open into a Venturi tube 53whilst the second exhaust port 54 opens into a nozzle 55 enter-` ing the said Venturi tube53, so that the passage of exhaust gases from the port 52 through the Venturi tube will induce afurtlier How through the nozzle 55 yfrom the exhaust port 54, andpreferably frdm the outside air Lo obtain a thorough scavenging of the exhaust portion of the cylinder as will be further explained.

I have shown as being applicable, although not necessarily essential as will later become apparent, a distributor 56. This includes commutators 57 mounted upon a distributor shaft 58 and enclosed in a rotatably adjustable housing 59 which may be of insulating material provided with a lever 60 for its adjustment and carrying the brushes 6l communicating with wires 62 leading through source of electrical energy such as a battery and the cprimary circuit of a vibrator coil to a suitableswitch and return to ground on the motor, the secondary of the said coil being connected to the spark plugs 51 as by wires 63. The operation of such distributors is well known and does not require further description herein except to point out Athat in the illustrated 'levice there are twice as many contact points 64 on the commutators 57 as there are pistons of the engine in each cylinder, and the said commutators 57 are therefore rotated through gearing 65 and 66 at one half engine speed. The distributor 56 is shown with two commutators 57 in order that the two spark plugs, one in each cylinderf the`engine, may be in separate circuits. The' battery coil and switch above mentioned are not illustratcd as they do not form a feature of the invention and their nature and use in internal combustion engines is well known. Further, any suitable ignition means may be substituted therefor.

It will thus be Vseen that the distributor will provide for the iiriirg of charges behind every piston of the engine as eachone passes the spark plug 5l of the cylinder in which it is located, and that, assuming the rotor speed to be one thousand R. P. M., there would thus be sixteen thousand explosions per minute in each cylinder, Which means a practically continuous application of power to the rotor at an almost constant pressure. Even at low speeds the large number of explosions to each revolution of the rotor will still result in a `ractically continuous torque so that at such ow speeds a highly proportional power eiiciency will be maintained.

As has already been indicated, it is not` necessary that the inner and outer walls of the cylinders closely approach the pistons throughout their Ventire orbits of movement of the said pistons, and in the internal combustion type of enginesubstantial clearances e and f throughout the inlet stroke, and g and L throughout or practically throughout the firinfr stroke is preferred, as for one reason this'substantially reduces the accuracy of contour required in the cylinders, and permits the equalizing of pressure resulting in less strain on mechanism.

As each piston enters the compression portion of its cylinder it traps a charge of explosive mixture therein between the said piston and the piston in advance thereof, and as it further travels through the cylinder, induces inlet gases into the inlet portion of the cylinder at the same time compressing the trapped charge due to the fact that the space in advance of the said piston is progressively reduce as it approaches the restricted portion b of the cylinder, whereupon, at or about such point, the Charge is ignited by the spark plug 5l. A

The said spark plug does not necessarily need to be in thel precise position shown, and I have indicated plugs 67 and 68, closing seats 69 and 7 0 at other positions in the cylinder, whereby upon removal of either of the said plugs a spark plug may be located in one or other ofthe said seats if it be desired to make such variation of the point where the firing is to take place. This means of Varyin o; thepoint of detonation is simply shown by way of illustration as the many ways in which ignition may beadvanced or retarded 1n an engine are common knowledge to those skilled in the art to which this invention -appertains, and it is simply desired to indicate that the firing point is not necessarily precisely at the restricted portion b of the cylinder. i

As each piston is subjected to the force of the explosion behind it, it is impelled in its -orbit through the firing portion of the cylinder, and where the clearances g Vand L are provided the whole of the firing portion, or practically so, becomes a single lcylinder the final piston o f the explosive charge as it enters the portion d of the cylinder, this being repeated with each piston as it so of the cylinder and ^the exploding charge in the firing portion of the cylinder being added to as each piston enters such firing portion.

In this way it is possible, by correct design of the clearances y and 7L about the pisiii 1n which receives'the force g enters such portion y maintain a continuous combustion in such firing portion which willprogressively ignite the charge behind each piston as it enters the said firing portion without requiring the assistance of the spark plug or other ignition means; and in this case the s ark may be utilized simply to promote the initial firing when starting the engine and not used during the running of the engine as will be readily seen. In such case the distributor may be dispensed with and a high frequency current passed through the plug to maintain sparking activity at the points thereof during the starting operation .without any special means of timing such sparking 3activity.

Ordinarily the closest approch of the cylinder walls to the pistons maybe around, say, one thousandth of an inch without any contact of the pistons with the cylinder walls taking placeY even in the suction and exhaust portions of the cylinders as it is found that such slight clearance in an engine of this type does not seriously ai'ect its operation, and has on the other hand especial advantages in that friction between the pistonsl andthe cylinder walls is avoidedwith a consequent saving of wear and`power, and also that lubrication bf the pistonsand cylinder walls is rendered unnecessary so that a higher de-A gree of thermal eiciency may ,be-secured without the carbonization and other objectionable features attendantupon the use of' oil in the cylinders' of internal combustion engines'. g

This slight clearancedoes not permit the firing back of an ignited charge and the preignition of the charge in the compressionportion of the'cylinder yas may possibly be presumed, it being required that the clearance be fairly vsubstantial before-this would occur, and itis this characteristic of l--firing back where the clearance is substantial that is adopted in the firing portion of the cylinders where the clearances gand h are provided.'

This arrangement of clearances g and z,-

provides for an equalizing of pressure throughout the firing portion of the cylinder which, as stated, is applied to Aeach piston as it becomes in its movement the final piston of the said firing portion of the cylinder, but

as shown in'Figure 14 this substantial clearof thefiring .portion thereof to ances g and h may be 'omitted and the true form of the cylinder maintained in the firing portion as at k and Z with a minlmum of clearance wherein the progressive expansive V effect of the explosive gases is, applied to each piston during its travel through the firing portion of theicylinder. In this case, however, if thought necessary or desirable, a clearance fm, may be provided in one or other of the walls of the cylinder at the beginning ermit the back-firing past each piston as itll entersthe said firing portion to progressively ignite the charge behind each piston as 1t enters the firing portion without requiring the assistance of a vspark plug or other ignition means for that purpose.

At the point d which is the final end of the firingv portions of the cylinders I. prefer to ensure a close approach of the cylinder walls to the pistons as it is at this point that the explosive forces are concentrated, and deleterious leakage might possibly occur, for which reason I have indicated the use of replaceable or adjustable liners 71 and 72 in opposite walls of the cylinder and secured'in recesses 73v and 74 therein by tapered pins 75 which may be driven between the end walls of the recesses and the opposed edges of the liners, both of which are correspondingly rooved vfor the reception of such pins. To adjust the liners the pins may be withdrawn and shims 76 and 77 inserted beneath the liners, after which the tapered pins may be .replaced asfar as they will then enter their respective ggooves,'and any resulting projecting portions of the pins cutoff.

The pinions within the rotor retain the` ders and'thereby prevents endwise movement of the pistons inthe said cylinders in order that the endsof the said pistons may have the requisite clearance from the cylinder heads and the rotors to avoid friction between 95 such parts as would otherwise result, so that it will be apparent that there is practically no contact of the pistons with any of the l walls of thecylinders at any time except such possible contact as may .be provided for by the yliners 7 6 and 77, Figure 14, although even these may be adjusted to provide a minimum friction at the final ends of the firing portions ofthe cylinders and may in fact very slightly clear the pistons. The pistons are in'no way 105 supported by the walls of the cylinders, being entirely supported in the bearings 28 and 29 ofthe rotor members 10 and 11.

As the pistons, following their firing strokes, travel through the exhaust portions 11o lof the cylinders they iirst pass -be ondy the exhaust port 52 and the prdducts o combustion are' discharged therethrough into the Ven" uri tube 53', thereby setting up a. suctionv in the nozzle 55 which results ina final ex- 115 traction of exhaust gases from between the pistonsA as-they eventually pass the yport 54.

I prefer to provide for the admission of air to the exhaust portions of the cylinders and more especially thereto in proximity to the second exhaust ports 54 for which purn pose I indicate the cylinder heads 3 and 4 as being provided with openings 160 and 161 1 Jvith which communicating air pipes 162 and 163 through which atmospheric or com- Y 125 pressed air may be 'introduced to the exhaust portion of the cylinder opposite the exhaust ports 54, so that before the pistons pass to` the inlet portions ofthe cylinders the exhaust gases will be completely washed out with pure airand carried away through the nozzle 55 as will be readily understood, a"

' ily taken care of by making the drums 6 and 7 hollow to provide Water chambers 78 and 79 having outlet passages 80 and 81 in the cylinder heads 3 and 4, respectively, .leading to a discharge pipe 82 which may be connected to any form of radiator or other cooling device. The cooling water enters water jackets 83 and 84 formed in the outer wall u of the firing portion o'f the cylinder by way of a water'inlet pipe 85, the said water jacket1 communicating by means of passages 86 and 87 with further water jackets 88 and u89 formed in the heads 3 and4 and extending over the firing portions of the cylinders. These Water jackets 88 and 89 in turn communicate through passages 90 and 91 with the water chambers 78 and 79 of the cylinder drums, thereby providing for complete water circulation. v

A free tting of the rotor members 10Oand 11 between the drums 6 and .7 is necessary so thatthe said rotormembers may revolve with a minimum of friction, and, to prevent leakage of gases from` the cylinders to the bearings or other parts of the engine, I may provide the said rotor members with seal rings 92 located in packing grooves 93 and bearing against plates 94 recessed into the opposed faces of the said drums 6 and 7 to form an effective gas seal-about the shafts 12 and 13.

Lubrication for tlie rotor, its bearings and the bearings of the pinion spindles 30 and' 31, as well as the lubrication of the pinions 32, gear 23, and the seal rings 92, is provided for -y an oil pump 95 operated by the lower end of the distributor shaft 58 and adapted chamber extend passages 100 and 101 leading to the interior of the rotor and tothe main bearing 15 of the engine respectively.

Thus the interior of the said rotor may be completely filled with oil if so desired, forming an oil bath for the gear 23 and pinions 32, ducts 102 admitting lubricant to the journals of the pinion spindles 30 and 31, and the 'said bearing 15 being also flooded with oil.

Similarly passages 103 in the boss 21 admit -oil to the bore of the shaft 12 through which the said shaft 16 extends Ywith substantialclearance between the two shafts so that some of the lubricant will return to the casing 18 through the annular passage between the said ,two shafts 12 and 16.

The bearings 1 9 and 20 of the shaft 16 are ofcourse freely lubricated by the bath of oil within the rotor and the .casing 18 is preferably maintained full of oil in which all of the gearing Within the said casing operates, 104 being a return oil line leading to the said. casing 18 from an oil groove 105 in the cylinder head 4 which receives oil from a bearing 15 through a duct 106 in a bearing retaining ring' 107 mounted in the said cylinder head 4. Flow through the bea-ring 14 is permitted by oil ducts 108 and 109in the shaft 12 and the cylinder head 3 respectively, and ducts 110 :and 111 in thebosses 21 and 22 of the rotor members provide for a supply of lubricant to the packing rings 92.

It will be apparent that there are comparatively -few surfaces requiring lubrication, and

vthatadequate provision for lubrication of such surfaces is easy of attainment such as in the manner described.

The gear 23 is preferably imperforate so `that.,it forms a partition in the rotor, and

the oil distributing ring 25 forms an extension of such partition beyond the pinions, so that it ensures a flow of oil around the gear and distributing ring and incidently over the pinions and back to the central part of the rotor lin edecting its escape between the shafts 12 and 16. This insures the thorougn lubrication of all th'e moving parts within the rotor and also effects an oil cooling of such parts and of the said rotor.

The objects of this inventionmay be attained by constructions varying in many ways from that already described, whilstinvolving salient features of suchconstruction as will be readily understood, and, as an example of such possible variatlon, attention is directed to the arrangement disclosed in Figures 15, 16 and 17, wherein 112 and 113 are the rotor members corresponding to the members 10 and 11 of the first described construction, 11'4 and 115 the shafts of the said rotor members.

The first of these shafts is tubular to accommodate an interior shaft 116 corresponding to the shaft 16 of the said first described construction and .which shaft 16 has mounted` thereon a bevel gear 117 which is located between the said vrotor members and acts,v in the manner of the gear 23 hereinbefore referred to, to control the rotation of pistons 118 on their axes, nwhich control is effected through the medium of pinions 119 meshing with the said bevel gear and mounted upon spindles 120 of the said pistons.

' The cylinderv casing in this example is shown as being in two parts 121 and 123, the outer parts of-which extend substantially beyond the periphery of the rotor and form the annular cylinder' 123. In this case the Leanser:l

istons are arranged with their axes rotatlng from the center of revolution of the rotor, and gearing 124, 125, 126 and 127 controls the rotation of the bevel gear 117 in suoli manner as to cause each of the pistons to rotate once in each revolution of the rotor. The pistons are of similar ellipic cross section to those described in connection with Figures 1 to 14, and therefore, as a result of such rotation their ,major axes wil be transverse to the cylinder at two opposite points in their orbit of movement through the said cylinder, and their minor axes will be transverse to the said cylinder at two intermediate opposite points, as will be readily understood by referring to the development of the cylinder shown in Figure 17.

The said Figure 17 clearly shows that the side walls of thel cylinder alternately approach and diverge from one another to agree with the changing disposition of the major axes of the pistons therein at different points df their orbit of movement, so that the effect of this alternate transverse contraction and expansion of the cylinder section and of the corresponding movement of the pistons therein is similar to that already described in connection with the structure illustrated in Figures 1 to 14 in obtaining suction, compression, power and exhaust strokes, an inlet port 128 corresponding to the .port 50 is provided at the beginning of the inlet stroke, and exhaust ports 129 and'130 correspqnding to the ports 52 and 54 similarly provided.

oz, and o are clearances Ain the wall of the suction portion of the cylinder corresponding to the clearances e or f, and p and r are clearances in the wall of the power portion of the cylinder corresponding to the clearances f/ or h, the purposes of which have already been described.

With radially arranged pistons as shown in this example the peripheral surface of the.

rotor may be given a spherical contour and the inner ends 131 of the said pistons and a co-relative contour, the same being also true of the outer ends of the pistogs 'and the wallk of the cylinder within which they` move so that in all positions of the pistons a proper fitting thereof in the cylinder will be maintained.

The slight clearance between the pistons and the cylinder walls, advantages o which have been mentioned, may be maintained in the present construction by providing thel pistons with circular shoulder portions 132 entering corresponding depressions 133 in the periphery of the rotor and thereby maintaining the pistons properly centered and true in the cylinder' so that none of the surfaces of tnhe pistons themselves may come into actual contact with the cylinder walls or with the periphery of the rotor.

Special illustration or description of the oiling or cooling arrangements in connection with this example have not been entered into herein as being considered unnecessary in View of the earlier disclosure in Figures 1 to 14, the said Figures 15 to 17 being more or less diagrammatic and simply for the purupose of indicating the possibility of modifi- .controlled by lthe gear 23 in the manner already described in connection with Figures 1 to 14, 134 being the cylinder casings corresponding to the casings 2, and 135 the internal drums within the cylinder casings. 'The said cylinder casings differ in this example from the casings 2 in that they each have two exhaust ports 136 and two pairs of inlet ports 137 and 138, the exhaust ports being arranged at the wider portions of the cylinders and the inlet ports at the restricted portions of the cylinders as shown in Figure 20.

139 is a steam pipe or main (which however nay be a compressed air pipe or may be chargedywith pre-exploded or other gas or fluid under pressure) f and is equipped with a two-Way valve 140 which is adapted according to its adjustment to admit steam to pipes 141 or to pipes 142 leading to the inlets 137 or 138 respectively. Thus if the valve be adjusted in the position shown in Figure 21, steam will be admitted to the cylinders of the engine through the ports 137 and will move the pistons in a clockwise direction, viewing Figure 20, the steam being exhausted from between adjacent pistons as the leading piston in each case passes beyond the upper or lower exhaust port 136. Similarly, reversal -of the valve will result in reversal of the en- Another method of employing the principle of flat blade-like pistons operating in an annular cylinder of variable cross section is illustrated ain Figure 22, wherein it will be seen that the lcylinder has inner and outer walls 145 and 146 respectively of approximately circular form with their inner and outer surfaces generated envelopes of the path of the pistons, whereby the cylinder is restricted at m `and is widest at y, and in this case the pistons 36 mounted on the rotor memv i ber 10 are arranged to perform half a revolution during each revolution of the rotor so that with the cylinder arranged with its restricted portion lowermost as in the figure, the blades are horizontal as they pass through such restricted portion, and vertical as they pass though the Wider portion of the cylinder. In this case I show inlets 147 and 148 for the admission of fluid under pressure to the cylinder, the said inlets being arranged on either side of the restricted portion of the said cylinder, so that operation of the engine may be effected in either direction according to which of the inlets is utilized, and 149 is an exhaust port at the wider portion of the cylinder. y

From the foregoing descriptions of other arrangements of the invention, the operation of this arrangement will be quite obvious without further detailed explanation, but it is pointed ont that in this arrangement the semi-rotation of the pistons on each revolution of the rotor causes the blades to alternately expose their opposite sides to the pressure of the operating fiuid, each time they are exposed thereto.

Thus the pistons may rotate counter to or in the same direction as the rotor or they may be radially disposed on the rotor and ro1 ate in one or other direction as may be deemed necessary or convenient, and still further, it will be understood that the number lof revolutions of the piston relevant to the revolutions of the rotor may be either greater or less than that of ihe rotor according to requirements as to the number of cycles of operation required in each revolution of the rotor, so that in the four cycle internal combustion engine the pistons may revolve once to each revolution of the rotor, and in a two cycle engine they may perform one revolution to two revolutions of the rotor. quired, the pistons may perform two revolutions to one of the rotor, and so on.

Figure 23 illust-rates an adaptation of such a piston arrangement to an internal combustion engine, and in this case it will be seen that it admits of operation on the two cycle principle where-in an explosive mixture un'der compression is admitted through the inlet 150 to the restricted portion w of the cylinder, the inner and outer walls 151 and 152 of which are of generally -circular form but may be provided with clearances v and'w in the firing portion of the cylinder analagous to the clearances g and la shown in Figure 7 and for the same purpose.

153 is a 'spark plug for eifecting initial ignition of the charge in starting the engine which may then continue to operate bythe back firing of the ignited gases in the firing portion of the cylinder to the. gases behind each piston as it enters such firing. portion as already described in connection with the said Figure 7.

The exhaust portion of the cylinder is provided with exhausts ports 154 and 155 similar to the ports 52 and 54 of the arrangement shown in Figure 7 and opening in a similar manner into a Venturi tube 156, thereby securing the scavenging of products of combustion from between the pistons before they again receive a new charge from the inlet Similarly, if eight cycles are-re.

150, which scavenging has been one-of the principal difficulties met with in a two cycle engine, so that this problem is very effectively solved by this arrangement. 1

It will be obvious that the same advantages such as absence of reciprocating motion, freedom from necessity of lubricating the pistons in the cylinders, continuous torque, reduction of mechanical friction, tangential application of force, compactness, and so forth, may be attained in this construction as in other constriictions described, and detailed description of this modiiicatioii is therefore not further entered into.

vThe embodiment of my invention in an engine design admits of very simple construction, all of the moving parts being rotary and easily balanced about their centers of rotation and about the axis of the rotor, the machine work required being of such simple and straight forward nature that it may readily be effected on a production basis, and, furthermore, the device is capable of easy and quick assembling without -the same care and attention which is usually required in reciprocating engines to obtain smooth running relationship of the movable elements. Still further, the lack of inlet and exhaust valves which is possible in an engine of the ty e described results in a great reduction of tiie number of parts and mechanisms ordinarily L called?for where such valves are present both in the valves themselves and the means for the operation and timing of the valves, and the disadvantages attendant upon the use of valves and valve mechanisms such as. are well known to those conversant with this art are likewise overcome.

The flexibility of an engine of this type is marked due to the large number of impulses per revolution of the rotor, which as already explained amounts to practically even and continuous application of power to the rotor,

and this'even application of power results in a minimum of vibration together with a minimizing of impact loads on the bearings, so that smoothness of operation and ability of the engine to withstand wear fora great length of time is secured. The lack of complicated valve mechanisms, crank shafts and other parts, such as distributor mechanisms which may be omitted in an engine embodying this invention, and the eliminating of the necessity of building heavy structures to withstand impact loads such as are present in reciprocating engines, permits ofv a very light construction of the invention relative to its horse power. A high degree of ethciency may be secured as the power is supplied in practically a continuous manner to a rotating body in the direction of its rotation and a very great variation of running speed is possible within the range of eiiicient Y operation of the engine.

Although the inven ion is described herein as embodied in an eng ne as such, it is pointed out that it readily lends itself to embodiment in rotary pumps either 'vacuum or pressure pumps -by me' hanically driving the rotor and reversing the inlet and exhaust ports to suit` the circumstances of operation. Also the invention lends itself to use in hydraulic transmissions wherein power is transmitted from one member to another through the agency of fluid trapped between the pistons in the cylinder as in the case where the device is operated as a pump.-

Herein and in the claims it is desired that the term cylinder be understood to indicate an annular chamber having a configuration generally conforming to the generated path of the pistons, and the term generally elliptic as applied to the pistons is intended to indicate a blade-like structure having curved surfaces adapted to co-act with the walls of the cylinder to maintain contact or practical contact with such walls during the annular variation of the-blade-like pistons to the walls of the cylinder.

It has heretofore been explained that the described arrangements admit of the pistons being maintained slightly out of contact with the walls of the cylinder but it is not essential that they should be so out of contact as an `actual sliding or rolling contact may be maintained if desired.

The precise number and shape of the pistons will` of course, be governed by requirements of operation and mechanical expe-l diency and the invention may be developed within the scope of the followinglclaims without departing fromthc essential features of its the said invention, wherefore it is desired that the specification and drawings be read as merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense, except as necessitated by the prior art.

What I claim i's:- 1. In a rotary machine, an annular cylinder, opposite walls of which alternately recede from and approach one another, a rotor, a plurality of pistons arranged in circular series on vsaid rotor, said pistons being in the form of blades rotatable relative to said rotor, and means rotating said blades in said rotor as said rotor rotates whereby said blades pass edgewise between the closely approaching walls of the cylinder and progressively assume a transverse position with theirgedges disposed to the walls of the cylinder as they ass between the receded Walls whereby said lades form a series of partitions in said cylinder, the volumetric spacing of which increases as the walls of the cylinder recede from one another, intake and exhaust means for said cylinder, said pistons being spaced to form a plurality of closed successive compartments of varying volume between said intake means and said exhaust means.

2. In a rotary machine, an annular cylinder, a rotor, a. plurality of pistons arranged in circular series on and rotatable in said rotor, means controlling the rotation of said blades as they move with said rotor whereby they are progressively rotated from positions in which ad] acent blades present their edges to one another` to positions in which they present their faces to one another, opposite walls of the cylinder alternately receding from and approaching one another to agree' with'the varying angles of the blades to the said walls o f the cylinder, intake and exhaust means for said cylinder, said pistons being spaced to form a plurality of closed successive compartments, of varying volume between said intake means and said exhaust means.

3. In a rotary engine, an annular cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, said cylinder narrowing at said inlet port and at a point opposite thereto, liring means at said point, said cylinder widening between said means and said exhaust ort in the direction of rotation, a plurality ci) pistons arranged in circular seriesin said cylinder, said pistons being in the form of blades disposed in said cylinder at angles varying from that in which i the edges of the blades are transverse to closely approaching walls of the cylinder at the inlet port to that in which the faces of the bladesare transverse to such walls at the wider portion of the cylinder, and means controlling such variation of the angle of the blades as they travel around said annular cylinder. f

4. In av rotary machine, an annular cylinder, a rotor, a plurality of pistons arranged in circular series on said rotor, said pistons being in the form of blades, paritioning said cylinder, and means maintaining the faces of said pistons in planes parallel to a plane tangent to their orbit of movement in said cylinder` the walls of said cylinder alternately diverging and converging to agree with the conseouent increasing and decreasing of the width of the path through which the said pistons travel, intake and exhaust means for said cylinder, said pistons being spaced to form a plurality of closed successive compartments of varying volume betweenpsaid intake means and said exhaust means.

5. In a rotary engine, an annular cylinder, a plurality of pistons arranged in circular series in said cylinder and each having a ge-nerally elliptic cross section, a rotor on which said pistons are mounted, and means in the cylinder.

rotating said pistons relative to said cylinder as they are ided around said cylinder by said rotor w ereby the minor axes of said pistons are successively disposed transversely ofthe cylinder at one point in their path,

' and the major axes transversely of the cylinderat another point in their path, the.

walls of said cylinder alternately widening and converging to accommodate the minor and major axes of the pistons at such points whereby the volumetric space between the pistons is increased ordecreased as they approach the widened or'restricted parts rela- .inlet port and beyond said iiringmcans in the direction of rotation. A

6. In a rotary machine, an annular cylinder opposite walls of which alternately recede from' and approach one another, a plurality of pistons varranged in a circular series therein, each having a generally elliptic cross section, a rotor said lc linder, and means determining the disposition of the major axespf said pistons as they travel therein in suoli manner that the angle of such major axes to the tangents of the orbits of the pistons in the cylinder will vary and the pistons thereby accommodate themselves to the progressively narrowing or progressively widening nature of the cylinder, intake and exhaust means for said cylinder, said pistons being spaced toform a plurality of closed successive compartments of varying volume between said intake means and said exhaust means.

7.' In a rotary machine, an annular cylinder having walls alternately receding from and approaching each other,' a plurality .of pistons of generally elliptic cross section arranged in circular seriesin said cylinder, a rotor on which said pistons are rotatable on their axes and which guides said pistons in a circular path around said cylinder, and means rotating said pistons on their own axes to cause' them to vary in an lar position to the converging or diverging walls of the cylinder, whereby the major axes of the said pistons progressively vary'from a tangential to a radial relation to the orbit of movement of the said pistons as said pistons travel from the most restricted to the widest portion respectively of the cylinder, and vice versa, intake and exhaust means for said cylinder, said pistons being spaced toy form a pluralityof closed successive compartments of varying volume between saidb intake means and said exhaust means.

8v. In a rotary machine, a rotor, a pluralguiding said pistons aroundvv said rotor, said pistons having a generally` elliptic cross section, means controlling the rotation of said pistons on their axes upon the rotation .of said rotor in such manner that they-will move from an alignment of the major axes of adjacent pistons wherein they closely approach one lanother to an alignment of the minor axes of adjacent pistons wherein the volumetric spacing of such pistons is much greater, and an annular cylinder having walls alternately converging and diverging to conform with the relative disposition of the said pistons, intake and exhaust means foi-,said cylinder, said pistons being spaced to form a plurality of closed successive compartments of varying volume between said intake means and said exhaust means. l

9. ln a rotary engine, any annular Vcylinder having opposed Walls alternate-ly diverging and approaching one another whereby the cross sectional area of the cylinder progres- Sively increases and decreases, a plurality of pistons arranged in circular series in said cylinderand partitioning the cylinder into chambers, progressively increasing or decreasing in capacity according to the increasing or decreasing cross sectional area of the cylinder, a rotor guiding said pistons around said cylinder, said pistons being approximately elliptic in cross section whereby their minor axes may passthrough the restricted pbrtions of the cylinder, andthe maj oraxes span the wider portion ofthe cylinder, means controlling the disposition of such axes of the piston as they move around the cylinder, so that they will pass through the restricted and widened portions of the' cylinder in such manner, intake means at one of the wider portions of said cylinder, firing means at the narrower portion which isadjacent to said wider portion inthe direction of rotation, and exhaust means between said firing means and intake means and beyond said ring means in the direction of rotation.

10. In a rotary machine havingk an annular cylinder, a rotor, a plurality of pistons in the orinof blades arranged in circular series partitioning said cylinder, the cross sectional area' of said cylinder varying throughout its length and providing an exhaust portion of decreasing capacity, exhaust means opening in succession fromthe exhaust portion of said cylinder the second of-said means opening into the first and being subject to the' induction of exhaust gases escaping through the first exhaust means, saidl pistons being spaced to form a plurality of closed successive vcompartments of varying volume between said intake means and said exhaust means.

11. In a rotary machine. an annular cylinder, a rotor, a plurality of pistons arranged in circularseries on and rotatable in said ro- 

